Time to make the ravioli

And begin

I’ve always considered ravioli a treat. I used to ask my mom to make these for me on my birthday. Making ravioli by hand is fairly easy, although it can be time consuming. The dough is a simple pasta dough and the filling can be almost anything that floats your boat.

That said, there are a few special ingredients and tools required. For the dough, you will need semolina flour, which can be found at most health food stores with a bulk section. To roll out the dough, you will need a long wooden rod about 1/2″ in diameter. This can be found two ways. Any high-end cooking store will have a long specially designed, extremely expensive tapered rolling stick. Or you can go to any hardware store and buy a 1/2″ diameter wooden dowel that is about 3 1/2-4 feet long for far less and that works just as well. Your decision. To cut out the ravioli you can also buy fancy special cutters or use a drinking glass dipped in flour to make the cuts and a fork to seal the edges. The fancy cutters do it all in one step, which is helpful. (My wife put the ones pictured below in my Christmas stocking one year.)

For the dough, measure out four cups semolina flour on a large stable flat surface. Form into a mound with a well in the center much like children, and some adults, do with their mashed potatoes. In the well crack two eggs and beat until smooth. Add a pinch of salt and bring the flour into the egg. Mix well. Slowly add lukewarm water and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

Smooth like a baby's bum

Divide the dough into three equal pieces.

Which rolling stick did I choose?

Roll out the dough into a circle as thinly and evenly as possible. By moving the position of your hands more or less force can be applied.

Roll it up

Once the dough is a large sheet, roll it up on the rolling stick. With a firm push, roll the stick three to four times across the counter letting the dough flap back and forth. Unroll the dough and turn it a quarter of the way around. Roll it back up on the stick and push it across the counter again. Continue to turn the dough, quarter turn and roll it until it becomes extremely thin.  If the dough gets sticky add a little flour as you go. Repeat with two other pieces of dough.

The filling recipe will be for another day

Space spoonfuls of filling across the dough sheet leaving about 1 1/2 inches between each one.

All tucked in and cozy

Fold the dough over until the filling is evenly covered.

Just a couple hundred to go

Cut out the ravioli and place on a plate or baking sheet dusted with corn meal. Continue to place filling and cut the pasta out until the sheet is done. Much like biscuits take the left over and roll it out again and then stuff it again until all the filling is gone. Any leftover pasta can be sliced into shapes and cooked along with the ravioli, kind of like this. The ravioli can be frozen and cooked later or cooked immediately in boiling salted water. They take about 8 minutes to cook.